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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Spring Love Harukaze 2013: Creating the Future!

The legendary free urban gathering, Harukaze (“Spring Love”), is back
for its fifth year—again set to bring good vibes to Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park
on Saturday, March 30th and Sunday, March 31st during the
height of cherry blossom season. Following the ongoing event theme of
“Building the Future”, this year we will focus upon three main
sub-themes: supporting children in Fukushima, shifting to alternative
energy use, and advocating the right to dance.

Come out with your family, friends, or on your own to this amazing
weekend extravaganza to contemplate new lifestyles following the 2011
disaster, while also enjoying the gorgeous sakura and feeding your mind
and soul with some Spring Love!

We believe that one of the missions of Harukaze Spring Love is to
keep the conversation going re. what is continuing to take place in
Fukushima prefecture. In Tokyo in particular, our lifestyles have been
supported by the electricity made at the Fukushima nuclear power plants.
The reality, however, is that nuclear power has provided large amounts of money
in Fukushima prefecture, from which the lives of certain individuals
have benefited economically. Fukushima’s innocent citizens, including its children
have suffered greatly as a consequence of nuclear policy and the
resulting accident. By keeping the discussion going regarding what citizens in Fukushima continue to face, we can figure out ways to offer
support in this regard.

＊Spring Love Harukaze will include exhibition booths with information
about citizens in Fukushima, as well as inviting guest speakers who are
involved in providing support in this regard. Donations will also be
collected and given to groups doing work in this area.

* Shifting to alternative energy use
The electricity for all stages at Spring Love Harukaze will be
provided through solar energy. Additional electricity usage will come
from one to two electrical generators that are powered using biofuel. In
addition to reducing the amount of noise coming from the event area and
providing a more quality listening experience, this will prove that it
is indeed possible to power music festivals—as well as society in
general!—through existing energy networks without relying upon nuclear
energy or fossil fuels.

In addition to simply raising our voice against nuclear energy, we
are leading through an example of positive action in this regard.

* Advocating the right to dance
The Entertainment Business Act serves to enact restrictions with
regard to appropriateness within the entertainment industry. Originally
established in the immediate postwar period to prevent prostitution, the
law in fact serves to regulate dancing in live houses and clubs—and
police have recently begun utilizing this law as a justification for
crackdowns in this regard (particularly in the Kansai region).

Spring Love Harukaze is participating in the “Let’s Dance!” petition
drive, which aims to exclude dancing from the list of restricted
activities associated with this law. Please sign one of the petitions
circulating throughout the event venue and show your support for the freedom to dance!

* Smokers: Please respect the event’s general no-smoking policy by smoking only within designated areas!

* Harukaze has a “gomi-zero” (“no garbage”) policy . Please leave the
venue as clean as you found it by separating your trash at one of the
provided garbage stations. Garbage cleanup is an extremely expensive
undertaking, and if this policy is not respected, we may not be able to
offer this free festival in the future. Show some spring love by
supporting “gomi-zero”!!

Volunteers needed before and during the event!! We ask anyone with
ideas and passion regarding our peaceful shared future to please contact
us! We are looking for those who can help us before the event dates and
during the event for the following tasks: Site management,
translation/interpretation, cleanup, various administrative tasks, etc.
If you are able to help, please contact us at newstaff@harukaze.asia

* Organization: Harukaze is put together by a collective of
individuals who aim to use the power of messages, ideas, expression and
art to create a positive shared future that is built upon ideals such as
peace, ecology and culture. All staff, activists and artists are
working on an entirely volunteer basis, and Spring Love Harukaze is
funded entirely by the donations of like-minded individuals, as well as
sales from goods during the event.
Fundraising: Harukaze will have several fundraising collection boxes
placed on site. This event is not possible without the voluntary work
of our staff, and your donations will be an essential force for
this free event to continue in the future. We ask all attendees to stand
up for SPRING LOVE and its peaceful and progressive causes for future
generations to come!

Event History

Enjoyed by many event-goers during its first run from 1998-2002, when
it was known simply as “Harukaze,” the festival returned in 2009
together with Peace Not War Japan—adding discussions on peace-related
issues into the lineup and collecting donations for grassroots peace
organizations during the 2009 and 2010 festivals.

Following the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake, the 2011 event included
a candlelight memorial, panel discussions on issues related to nuclear
power and alternative energy, and song tributes for disaster victims led
by gospel singer (and festival director) Yuka Kamebuchi with her
ensemble “VOJA” (Voices of Japan). The 2012 Harukaze event, “Think It!”,
continued the discussion by encouraging festival-goers to reflect upon
and implement alternative cultural perspectives and sustainable living
into their own lives.